A Colorado guide to trick-or-treating

Zillow is out with its fourth annual Trick-or-Treat Index, and it ranks Denver 13th on its list of the 20 best cities for trick-or-treating.

San Francisco is first, followed by Boston, Honolulu, Seattle and San Jose.

The online real estate database looks at cities that will provide the most candy, with the least walking and safety risk. The ranking was calculated using four equally weighted data variables — Zillow Home Value Index, population density, Walk Score and local crime data.

For the benefit of ghosts, goblins and witches, Zillow also identified the top five neighborhoods to trick-or-treat in Denver. No. 1 was Country Club, the upscale area north of Denver Country Club between University and Downing. Belcaro, in southeast Denver, is No. 2, followed by Hilltop, Washington Park and Montclair.

The index is sure to provoke controversy. But at least it makes no mention — as one Denver newspaper once did — of the quality of Halloween candy handed out to trick-or-treaters by a young John Elway many years ago.

Emilie Rusch covers retail and commercial real estate for The Post. A Wisconsin native and Mizzou graduate, she moved to Colorado in 2012. Before that, she worked at a small daily newspaper in South Dakota. It's the one with Mount Rushmore.